China is undergoing a rapid transition from rural to urban dominated economy. Economy is booming, social structures are changing, ecosystems are stressed, and sustainability is challenged. We analysed the socioeconomic and environmental vulnerability of river systems that are entirely or partly located in the continental part of China. One-third of the mankind inhabit the area covered by this study. Six stress factors (governance, economy, social issues, environment, hazards and water stress) were analysed separately and in combination as an overall vulnerability. China's most vulnerable parts were found to be situated in the lower Hai and Yellow River basins, with their high population density, low water availability and high human footprint. The other water-stressed areas in the northwest showed high vulnerability, too, and so did the water-rich coastal areas due to high population density, natural hazards and high human footprint. We went beyond existing water stress and vulnerability studies in three dimensions. First, our perspective was highly multidimensional and thus very relevant in addressing China's water challenges in a realistic and multifaceted way. Second, we combined administrative and river basin scales and used an essentially higher spatial resolution than done so far. Third, we included the transboundary dimension, which is not customary. This is highly important since one billion people China's neighbouring countries, in basins that are partly in ChinaRead More

Of all the natural hazards, drought affects the maximum number of people globally causing devastating impacts. It is a reality that drought results in sets of socio-economic impacts starting with crop-yield failure, unemployment, erosion of assets, income decrease, poor nutrition and decreasing risk absorptive capacity, thereby increasing the vulnerability of the community. This paper gives a brief of the existing approaches that focus on vulnerability and impact assessment aid to characterize and identify regions, sectors and communities which are at risk for drought currently and in the future. It also discusses the limitation, constraints and pre-requisites in these approaches and highlights the importance of micro-level information to have a more realistic understanding of impact and vulnerability through illustration, with reference to the recent study conducted by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT). This exercise will provide a guiding framework for devising action plans to improve adaptive capacity among vulnerable populationsRead More

In topographically diverse highland terrain, socio-economic and environmental conditions can vary dramatically over relatively short distances. This presents a challenge for climate resilient development strategies, as exposure to climate variability and change, climate impacts, and adaptive capacity differ between communities located within common cultural and administrative units. The Livelihood Vulnerability Index (LVI) framed within the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) vulnerability framework (LVI-IPCC) offers a tool to assess climate vulnerability through direct household surveys. This makes it particularly appropriate for analyses at sub-community and community scales. Here we apply the LVI-IPCC to communities of Choke Mountain, located in the Blue Nile Highlands of Ethiopia. Recognizing the physiographic and climatic diversity that exists in this mountainous environment, we implement LVI-IPCC analysis for 793 mixed crop-livestock farming households using the five distinct agroecological systems (AES) that compose the populated area of Choke Mountain as a framework for analysis. For each AES, an LVI index, adaptive capacity metric, and LVI-IPCC vulnerability score was calculated. We found that each of these metrics varied systematically across AES. High elevation sloping lands and low elevation steep lands exhibited relatively low adaptive capacity and high vulnerability while midland AES had higher capacity and lower vulnerability. These results suggest that resilience building interventions for Choke Mountain ecosystems should be targeted to address the specific circumstances of each AES. The approach of applying LVI-IPCC at AES scale could be applicable to other climate vulnerable mountainous regionsRead More

Effects of climate change tend to be more severe where people rely on weather dependent rain-fed agriculture for their livelihoods. In rural mountain communities with limited livelihood options, adaptive capacity is low due to limited information, poor access to services, and inequitable access to productive assets. Few studies have reported on the current status of rural and remote mountain areas in Nepal with little known about adaptation strategies in use. This article is based on a study in the remote mountainous Jumla District of Nepal to explore how climate change is affecting the livelihood of local communities and how different wellbeing groups are differentially impacted. Looking from a wellbeing lens, adaptation practices by households as well as local support mechanisms were explored to predict the severity of effects now and into the future. Using a climate vulnerability and capacity analysis (CVCA) process, major climate hazards and their effects on livelihood resources were analyzed. In addition, participatory social research methods were used to analyze the coping strategies of different wellbeing groups. Results show that changing weather patterns have significantly challenged the livelihoods of a community, experiencing resource degradation, food scarcity, lack of basic services, and increasing social inequalities. The changing climate is an additional burden to the poor people in the mountains who are already living in poverty, are vulnerable and excluded with predictions of additional risks to livelihoods and further inequity in the futureRead More

Glacier thinning and retreat in the Himalayas has resulted in the formation of new glacial lakes and the enlargement of existing lakes due to the accumulation of meltwater behind loosely consolidated end moraine dams. Such lakes are inherently unstable and can be subject to catastrophic drainage (glacial lake outburst flood or GLOF), which is a potential source of danger to people and property in the valleys below them. Equally, glacial lakes are an important potential natural resource for water supply, which has yet to be effectively investigated. This publication describes the results of a systematic and comprehensive study of the status of glacial lakes and glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) risk in Nepal, including the vulnerability of downstream people and property and field studies of three of the most critical lakes. The assessment is intended to provide information for use in GLOF risk management in Nepal, as well as describing a detailed stepwise approach and methodology that can be applied throughout the Hindu Kush-Himalayan region. Region-wide cooperation is needed to develop a more coordinated approach and lay the foundations for a glacial lake outburst risk reduction policyRead More

People living in mountain ecosystems in the developing world are particularly vulnerable to climate change as a result of their high dependence on natural resources for their livelihoods, comparatively higher exposure to extreme events, and widespread poverty and marginalisation. However, little is known about the impacts of climate change on these communities, people’s perceptions of change, or their capacity to adapt. In order to identify the key determinants for future adaptation, we need to have a much better understanding of these issues. This publication provides an analytical framework and methodology for assessing environmental and socioeconomic changes affecting the livelihoods of rural, natural resource dependent communities living in mountainous environments. It also gives guidance on how to gain a better understanding of the forces which shape mountain communities’ vulnerabilities, and the capacities inherent to these communities for coping and adapting. The framework is intended primarily for development practitioners and institutions working on climate change vulnerability and adaptation in mountainous environmentsRead More

This paper presents and applies a conceptual framework to address human vulnerability to climate change. Drawing upon social risk management and asset-based approaches, the conceptual framework provides a unifying lens to examine links between risks, adaptation, and vulnerability. The result is an integrated approach to increase the capacity of society to manage climate risks with a view to reduce the vulnerability of households and maintain or increase the opportunities for sustainable development. We identify ‘no-regrets’ adaptation interventions, meaning actions that generate net social benefits under all future scenarios of climate change and impacts. We also make the case for greater support for community-based adaptation and social protection and propose a research agendaRead More

This paper reviews the concept of adaptation of human communities to global changes, especially climate change, in the context of adaptive capacity and vulnerability. It focuses on scholarship that contributes to practical implementation of adaptations at the community scale. In numerous social science fields, adaptations are considered as responses to risks associated with the interaction of environmental hazards and human vulnerability or adaptive capacity. In the climate change field, adaptation analyses have been undertaken for several distinct purposes. Impact assessments assume adaptations to estimate damages to longer term climate scenarios with and without adjustments. Evaluations of specified adaptation options aim to identify preferred measures. Vulnerability indices seek to provide relative vulnerability scores for countries, regions or communities. The main purpose of participatory vulnerability assessments is to identify adaptation strategies that are feasible and practical in communities. The distinctive features of adaptation analyses with this purpose are outlined, and common elements of this approach are described. Practical adaptation initiatives tend to focus on risks that are already problematic, climate is considered together with other environmental and social stresses, and adaptations are mostly integrated or mainstreamed into other resource management, disaster preparedness and sustainable development programsRead More